UFC champ Anthony Pettis gives timetable for recovery, return

If all goes to plan, injured UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis could be back in the cage in the first half of 2014.

Pettis (17-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) was scheduled to fight Josh Thomson tonight in UFC on FOX 9’s headliner before a torn posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) forced him to the sidelines. The fighter recently had successful surgery and laid out a timetable for his return.

“From what I understand and what the doctors are telling me, I could be out two to three months before I can actually start getting active and start training again,” he told ACS TV’s “Inside MMA” on Friday. “I’m looking at a four- to six-month recovery before I can fight again.

“It’s a pretty serious injury. I’m 26 years old, so I’ve got to do it right. I’m a champ for a reason. I feel like if I take the proper time and heal my body right, then I can stay the champ for a long time.”

With Pettis on the mend, Thomson (20-5 MMA, 3-1 UFC) now fights ex-titleholder Benson Henderson (19-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC), who lost his title to Pettis in August, in next month’s UFC on FOX 10 headliner. If Pettis’ timetable holds up, the winner is likely to get the first crack at the champ upon his return.

Pettis’ trainer, Duke Roufus, recently told MMAjunkie that the fighter’s knee never healed correctly after he injured it in the Henderson fight.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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